An Information Pack to support Assessment practice within RME in schools.

Planning for Learning, Teaching and Assessment within RME

How might we involve learners in assessing progress in RME?

How might we involve parents more in assessment in RME?

What aspects of your current practice are successfully enabling you to assess learners progress in RME?

What types of assessment instrument are most appropriate for assessing RME?

What issues/challenges are there in making assessment in RME valid and reliable?

How do we build assessment into learning programmes to make it manageable and proportionate?

How are we developing moderation of RME to ensure that we are raising standards?

Which aspects of RME are the most difficult to assess?

Which aspects of RME are the easiest to assess?

How do we use assessment information to report on a learners achievements in RME?

Space for Personal Reflection/Notes

RME: Principles and Practices Paper

Assessment within RME:

- KU of religious practices and traditions - Skills in making informed, mature responses to

issues of belief and morality - Learning about, and their responses to, practices

and traditions and beliefs and values - Increasingly reflective responses to beliefs, values,

practices and traditions of others - Reflection

BREADTH, CHALLENGE AND APPLICATION OF LEARNING ACROSS THE CURRICULAR AREA

WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN RME?

RME: Experiences and Outcomes

Curriculum Organisers:

- Christianity - World religions selected for study - Developing Beliefs and Values Subdividers:

- Beliefs - Values and Issues - Practices and Traditions - Developing Beliefs and Values (?)

Curriculum for Excellence

Building the Curriculum 3 - The Four Capacities

Successful Learners Responsible Citizens Confident Individuals Effective Contributors

Curriculum for Excellence

Building the Curriculum 3 : Curriculum Design

- Challenge and Enjoyment - Breadth - Progression - Depth - Personalisation and Choice - Coherence - Relevance

Building the Curriculum 5

What do we assess?

- Knowledge and Understanding - Skills (Building the Curriculum 4) - Attributes and Capabilities

Building the Curriculum 5

Progression between Levels

DEVELOPING CONSOLODATING SECURE

LEARNING ABOUT RELIGION < > LEARNING FROM RELIGION

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

REFLECTION, DBV, APPLYING, ANALYSING, EVALUATING,

CREATING

What are we assessing/reporting on in RME?

Creating

Evaluating

Applying

Understanding

Remembering

Subject Specific Guidance National Guidance and Expectations

BLOOMS TAXONOMY

Using the Es and Os to create Learning Intentions and Success Criteria.

Are the Es and Os linked coherently – are they experiences or are they outcomes?

This diagram is an example of Blooms Taxonomy in action.

It shows how skills are interlinked and lead from each other. It also shows progression from one skill to another.

The left side refers to the Key Skills of Blooms and the right hand side gives examples of how these may be used in practice.

Key Reflective Questions:

How are you implementing these skills within your own practice?

How do you develop these skills in class?

In what way do you assess these skills and what evidence do you keep?

How do we build in Skills for Learning, Life and Work such as working with others etc?

Diagram courtesy of McGinlay 2010

What am I learning about?

What are the main points of

what I have learnt?

Can I give evidence of what I have

learnt?

Describe what I have learnt

How would I summarise what I have

learnt?

Can I explain what it means?

Do I need to explore more or

new ideas to develop my

understanding?

Knowledge and Understanding

Key Questions

“Religious and moral education is a process where children and young people engage in a search for meaning, value and purpose in life.

This involves both the exploration of beliefs and values and the study of how such beliefs and

values are expressed.”

Building the Curriculum 1

“Religious and moral education enables children and young people to explore the world’s major religions and views which are independent of religious belief and to consider the challenges

posed by these beliefs and values.”

RME Principles and Practices Paper

It is important for learners within RME to learn about faith positions. Through learning about faith they will start to develop the skills needed for personal reflection and critical thinking that will in turn contribute to their own developing beliefs and values.

Learners will learn about faith stances and viewpoints independent of religious belief and will study the following:

Beliefs

Values and Issues

Practices and Traditions

How a faith systems beliefs influence action?

LEARNING ABOUT FAITH

What am I learning about? What do I

understand about what I am learning?

What is the evidence for

what I am learning?

What are the key points of

what I am learning?

Can I distinguish

between fact and opinion?

Can I point out differences and similarities with other pieces of

knowledge?

Can I give arguments for and against a viewpoint or

issue?

What is my opinion of . . .

?

What conclusiuons can I come to

about . . ?

“RME allows young people to:

investigate and understand the responses which religious and non-religious views can offer to questions about the nature and meaning of life

encourage the development of enquiry and critical thinking skills

create opportunities for the development of problem -solving skills” RME Principles and Practices Paper

Through learning about religion and faith the learner should have the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills of analysis and evaluation – have the opportunity to question and debate and this will in turn allow them to develop the key RME skill of Personal Reflection. By exploring issues in depth and examining evidence and alternative and counter views to different beliefs systems or moral viewpoints then the learner will be expanding their own knowledge base and developing their own personal thoughts on the matter.

LEARNING ABOUT FAITH AND LEARNING FROM FAITH

Analysis and Evaluation

Key Questions

What am I learning about? What have I

actually learnt?

Do I agree or disagree with

it?

How do I feel about it?

Do I understand/ empathise

with the situation?

What can I learn from it?

What has it taught me?

Has it changed my

beliefs and/or values?

How has my understanding

changed or developed?

“The context of study should encourage the

development of a child or young person’s own beliefs

and values in addition to developing his or her

knowledge and understanding of values, practices and

traditions. This can be achieved through consideration

of, reflection upon and response to the challenges

presented by religious beliefs and values, and those

which flow from viewpoints independent of religious

belief.”

RME Principles and Practices Paper

It is important for the learner to engage with

knowledge and understanding in the classroom and in

particular in the RME classroom as this will allow them

to develop and grow in response to what they are

learning.

This approach of Active Learning is essential to allow

for development of the four capacities and to

contribute to the Development of Beliefs and Values

Es and Os.

From these prompt questions the learner will develop

the skills of communication through literacy

development to communicate their ideas and shared

values.

LEARNING FROM FAITH

Personal Reflection

Key Questions

Early First Second Third Fourth

The aim of Progression exemplification is to show how learners progress between level (ie Early to First) and how this might be demonstrated, but also to show that at the same time there will be depth within each Experience and Outcome to allow students to develop and be challenged. This ensures that learners can develop from level to level while at the same time be stretched and have the depth of their knowledge increased and skills developed.

In order to truly plan for clear progression routes in any subject, professionals must work across sectors to ensure that plans are clear and that learners have the opportunity to move from one level to another without fear of losing understanding and also to ensure that there is no repetition of learning and that learning is built on from level to level with an increasing depth of knowledge being developed. Early Years, Primary and Secondary need to work together to plan clear routes of progression and clear lines of development.

It is essential to plan for progression from one stage to the next and for this process to be complete you must consult with colleagues at all levels and sectors. Take the above strand, as you can see the Es and Os lead into each other and increase in depth as they move towards the fourth level. The amount of knowledge required increases and the skills needed to arrive at the outcome are also increasing in difficulty. The clues as to how the learners should achieve the outcome are expressed in the language of the outcome. E.g. describe, reflect, investigate, explore, express etc.

What is the basic piece of KU I want my learner to have in

order to achieve this E and O?

What depth can they go into in relation to this piece

of KU?

What experience am I going to give my learners in order to

achieve this E and O? (ie Active Learning)

You may also need to revisit this E and O later as part of

progression.

What skills are we developing? How will they

apply these skills in new and unfamiliar situations?

What are we assessing and how are we doing it?

KEY QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN PLANNING FOR

PROGRESSION IN KU AND SKILLS

This is one emerging example of how progression may look across on e strand of the Es and Os. It is important to note that different teachers may choose to group different Es and Os together in different ways and there will therefore be different learning experiences across the board.

However it is important that clear lines and routes of progression are developed from Early through to Fourth level. This is done with clear and open communication between sectors and between colleagues.

A consistent approach to planning will ensure that all learners can be challenged where and when appropriate and that learning experiences follow on from

each other.

ASSESSMENT AND MODERATION FLOW CHART

Select Es and Os to be used as a focus

Select ROA (Lit, Num and HWB)

Write clear learning intentions for the piece of work/unit/task in terms of KU and Skills

Write and share the success criteria for the learner

Evidence to support learning and teaching

SAY WRITE MAKE DO

Range of assessment approaches used

Self, Peer, Teacher led

Assessing the progress in learning

BREADTH, CHALLENGE and APPLICATION

Evaluate the learning

Feedback and Next Steps in learning

Share with the learner and parents

Is there coherence amongst the Es and Os that have been selected for this task/unit/assessment?

Does the task or approach to assessment chosen allow ample opportunity to demonstrate achievement?

Do the success criteria created match the learning intentions derived from selected experiences and outcomes?

Is there evidence of the learner being involved in the assessment process through peer and self assessment? (Assessment as Learning)

Is the evidence of high quality and demonstrate understanding of the Es and Os selected?

Is the assessment evidence clearly marked with feedback and annotations to indicate strengths and areas for development?

Does the evidence indicate depth, breadth and challenge in learning?

REFLECTIVE MODERATION QUESTIONS (NQAG CRITERIA)

RME Evidence

Is there evidence of learning about Faith?

RME Evidence

Is there evidence of learning from faith?

RME Evidence

Is there evidence or opportunity for the learner to develop their beliefs and

values?

This sheet is one emerging example of how you may approach the recording of evidence and is not designed to be prescriptive. There are many ways to do this and you will design a method that is appropriate for your context. The clear focus is that the learner and teacher is gathering evidence of learning against pre agreed Learning Intentions and Success Criteria.

The SP, P and PW refer to the following terms: Some Progress, Progress and Progressing Well. Again this is a professional judgement made by the teacher and is a comment on the progress made in the learners’ journey to fully understand the Learning Intentions and achieving the Success Criteria.

There is space to take not of the different types of evidence used and for both staff and pupil to make comment on the learning.

This form also shows how it is possible for the gathering of evidence of learning against the four capacities.

SP P PW

Teachers planning learning, teaching and

assessment.

Expectations of learning agreed and evaluated.

Through department, school, cluster and local

authority moderation activities a professional

debate occurs.

Through this debate and professional discussion

standards emerge.

This is closely linked ot planning for progression.

By planning for clear progression routes we

understand where young people are at in their

leanring and where they need to go.

This informs next steps and future planning. It links to the

imporvement agenda and helps raise standards for all.

“You cannot write down a standard – you have to experience it”

Gordon Stobart

Reflective Questions:

1) Are processes in place to allow for moderation of evidence across your school, cluster or local authority?

2) Do you engage in professional discussion with colleagues about emerging standards?

3) Are you engaging with the NAR to help establish standards?

4) How do you raise expectations of pupils and other teachers?

5) Do you ensure that high expectations are made of learners at all times?

For more information on Gordon Stobart and his work on Assessment, please visit the following link:

http://www.ioe.ac.uk/staff/CPAT/LCCN_78.html